First Drive Review EVER In The Lexus LF-A

I want one!

This car will be incredible. It supposedly will cost almost $500,000 in Britain. In USA cars are pretty much half the price, so around $250k I guess here.

Sounds impressive, Lexus. I'm pleasantly surprised. Now that they have the engine taken care of, lets get that exterior design cleaned up!

It's easy for Lexus to throw in all the latest technology, engine or chassis, but I'm more interested in how much emotional they want to this car to be. At least they are smart enough not to put in AWD to challenge GT-R.

The chassis-tub will hit the headlines hardest, though, because the whole shebang is made from carbon composite, which will provide the LF-A with one of the "STIFFEST" shells in production car history.

SOUND GOOD FOR £250,000 RIGHT?

Pretty bold statement for:
a) A car that is still in production
b) A companies first entry into the high-end sports car market
c) A car, since still in design/production, hasn't been driven in it's production form
d) A car that is still in PRODUCTION!!!!!!!

Sounds like something a fan-boy would say, don't you think?

Best of luck to them though, hope they can do to the market, what Nissan did with the GTR.....shake things up.

Starsearch,

I was commenting on someone saying a car that isn't in production is already a supercar.

To answer your question, no I am not delusional, if BMW attempted to enter the supercar realm and had a pre-production car in testing, I would NOT say it was a supercar till verified as such.

To say a successor of a current super-car is a supercar, IS fair due to its established history, ie. F40 - F50 - Enzo etc.

Huu76 is a FAN BOY

Sounds like a real driver's car, from Lexus. They need more stuff like this.

Looks like it will be worth the wait. Hopefully the economy will be forgiving to a great car.

Well guys all I can say is to compare the LF-A in the class with the 599 is very serious buisness. That thing is going to basically be a toned down F1 car with beautiful interior/exterior and a little refinement in the suspension.

"toned down F1 car "

- You've gone off the deep end.

i guess that's on of the cars that has proven it's unreliablity at the 24h of nürburgring, right?

Who would want to drive a sterile robot looking ToyLex for that kind of money when you could drive a sexy Ferrari or Lamborghini?

The people who want comfort, refinement and every day reliability.

If you can't appreciate or even respect a car like this then I guess you could not consider yourself a car enthusiast...only a hater, but we knew that already about EL34.

Seiko makes a watch that cost $6,000, but who wants one???

Give me a Ulysse Nardin, IWC or Zenith made in Switzerland or any of the other 100 Swiss Made watches.

No real car enthusiast will want that ToyLex bathtub.

Awwwwwww, don't be bitter EL34, it makes you look even smaller than we know you already are!

Don't blame me the ToyLex looks like a generic POS.

That thing has every cliche line known to car designers just like that Nissan GTR.

Oh poor baby, it's okay, we understand. It must be hard when everyone is laughing at you, not with you.

Already in need of a Complete Exterior redesign. As well as a mega price reduction. The thing looks dated. If not dated then maybe it looks like some sort of Japanese Aston Martin. A Ferrari F430 parked next to the LF-A would make the LF-A look even more like a touring car. The LF-A already looks Boring!!

Great LF-A is targeting top Ferrari, the 599. Can't wait to see the real car and more info.

JUGNU

Took long enough! Than again,perfection takes time and patience...and this car might be close to perfect.Not bad.Not bad at all.Not a huge Lex fan,but i give it up to them.

Good to hear this. Finally some real takes on the LF-A. The delay will be worth the wait - fiber composite chassis tub - WOW!

this car will weigh 500 pounds less than the GT-R and have 47 more horses than the Aston Martin DBS.

I'll second that on the fiber composite tub- WOW!

Let me get this straight. Toyota (Lexus) builds a car that is going to be better than a 599 GTB Fiorano. They can't beat Ferrari in real life at the track, so they build a comfortable (cushy), reliable (we will see) sportscar? They may be able to "beat" real car companies with marketing that have a real racing pedigree since the old folks that buy Toyota's (Lexus) don't watch them in F1 anyway. And $250,000 for a Toyota! Talk about a sucker being born every minute, damn!

With all the press this Toyota gets and the "Lexus" fans that actually think it will beat anything remains to be seen. But how many times have we heard the new "Lexus" will kill a _________ and then the car comes out and cannot even win a comparo? In any test! Remember when they said the Toyota L600h could beat a V12 BMW/Mercedes-Benz with a V-8, didn't happen. The "Lexus" IS-F would eat the M3! Oh wait, that didn't happen either. The "Lexus" SC430 will kill the SL500. The SC430 is a convertible for people that don't like convertibles or cars! The one thing the Toyota LS-F may do is make Toyota look like they are selling when they reach 500 units and then they will claim they are "Sold Out"! And if it can't beat a GT-R, which it will not be able to do since that is a different performance envelope it will suck even more! My rant is done, I am weary of reading about this "Special Toyota".

Um we can all agree that the LFA is a "little" different than what Toyota has done in the past (can't remember if a Corolla has ever had a fiber composite tub). And is there anything quotable from Toyota other than approximate specs? Nope. Also, when did Toyota say that the IS-F would kill an M3? Only the fans (that's why they are fans). In addition, the good ol' over used, super cheesy quote "well if it can't beat a ____ or a ___ it aint worth it" is such a freakin cop out only for those dudes with little b$lls. Love to hear the next one "well if can't beat my mom's K-Car with a twin turbo hemi it aint worth it". Now that sounds so retarded, and ignorant. The LF-A will rock, just like the ZR1, GTR, 599 GTB and the likes. We should all be happy that car manufacturers decide to make these cutting edge super cars because if they didn't we'd all be driving mom's twin turbo K-car.

I'm wondering where you guys (the bitter haters) are getting the production pictures of this car from. There are some of you who are claiming it already needs a redesign....The production version DOESN'T EVEN EXIST IN FINAL FORM YET...so transparent. Also, to be fair....this car being reviewed is a fully prepared race car, so I'm sure it handles and sounds like a dream. An M3 (beautiful car by the way) would also be (even more of) a monster as a race prepared auto.

All I'm saying is, looks like Lexus is on the right track, so let's see what the prodution version (street legal) looks and performs like before taking a dump on it...

'Everyone' hated on the GT-R before it came out, and now the Porsche is playing catch up on the PR and Production fronts....

Patience guys!

Um we can all agree that the LFA is a "little" different than what Toyota has done in the past (can't remember if a Corolla has ever had a fiber composite tub). And is there anything quotable from Toyota other than approximate specs? Nope. Also, when did Toyota say that the IS-F would kill an M3? Only the fans (that's why they are fans). In addition, the good ol' over used, super cheesy quote "well if it can't beat a ____ or a ___ it aint worth it" is such a freakin cop out only for those dudes with little b$lls. Love to hear the next one "well if can't beat my mom's K-Car with a twin turbo hemi it aint worth it". Now that sounds so retarded, and ignorant. The LF-A will rock, just like the ZR1, GTR, 599 GTB and the likes. We should all be happy that car manufacturers decide to make these cutting edge super cars because if they didn't we'd all be driving mom's twin turbo K-car.

Lexus will make HISTORY with this car. It'll be that special.

This car will be a major thorn in the side of all the Eurotrash faithfuls out there, first it was the GT-R, and now this thing...

they'll be crying themselves to sleep at night and having nightmares at the though of a company specializing in "old man's cars" can produce a supercar the likes of McLaren F1, Ferrari 599 GTB and Bugatti Veyron.

Let the nightmares begin!

this car will be awesome. 220 mph is Ferrari Enzo like top speed. I guaran-freakin-tee you it will be faster on the track and straight line than anything from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin not named FXX (not even street legal)

How old are you? The likes of a Veyron? The LF-A is not going to be anywhere as exclusives, renowned, desired, prestigious, etc as the Veyron. Around teh track there are a number of cars faster then the Veyron but that doesn't put them in contention with nor do Bugatti have anything to worry about.

The Mclaren F1 is history making, one of the most memorable cars ever built, and will continue to remain a timeless classic. I don't see the LF-A anywhere close to being something like the Mclaren F1.

@dinamor
Actually there is a road legal FXX. Forgot which company it was that does it for you but they do change little things to the car that make it street legal. You realize you are comparing a car that's not even out to a seven year old car right? It's not that big of a deal, it should be fast with all the updated tech wizardry, but again they are not on the same field. And given the chance to choose an Enzo or an LF-A, I'm pretty certain majority of the world would take the Enzo over an LF-A.

majority of the world would take enzo over LFA? ROFLMAO! how old are you? 12?

there were only 400 enzos made, and according to reports only 500 LFAs will be made. hardly enough for the 'majority' of the world.

I'd take the LFA. I don't like the design of the enzo at all. Looks like a space ship.

"given the chance to choose" meaning if everyone "in the world" were able to either take an Enzo or LF-A, majority of the popualtion would choose the Enzo

The design is debatable but I happen to love it, and can only imagine how well it performs.

Recca7

This is the problem people have with Lexus Fans.
They totally lack the ability to reason.

How is a Company with Very Little or no Current Racing Wins/Trophies to signify beating the competition on the track somehow going to Produce at First Attempt a SuperCar that can Challange the Near HyperCar abilities of the 599GTB on the Road ?

Simple Question that they cannot find an answer for. instead we get a lot of DeBoosting and GWB quality Rants.

Also If I and a lot of others like myself are to Part with Over 100k for a Vehicle, it would be for a Vehicle from a Company with a Track -Record {No Pun Intended} of Quality High Speed Handling and Safety, not just some Marketing Gibberish about Carbon fibre Tubs.

I have literally Seen people Walk away from Supercars crashed at over 100mph with little more than scratches and take their safety for granted. I know it takes Decades to aquire, tweak and perfect Passenger Cell Design and Build techniques and materials and nobody is going to get it right at first attempt.

So let the Fans Buy the LFA i say, they can be the Guinea Pigs for Future Design Mods. Ill keep to Proven Manufacturers for High Speed Jaunts for now.

Why is it that only the Americans believe that Lexus Builds the best cars in the world? I've yet to hear anyone from any other country (including japan) back Lexus the way the Americans do. Why is that? We seem to have (false) pride issues here in America.

look at it this way. Has Lexus ever built a performance orientated car that was the benchmark for all to follow? The LF-A will be a nice car for sure but claiming that it will be better than a Bugatti Veyron is just retarded Fanboy speak.

Top speed of the LF-A is est around 230mph, cd drag around .23, 1/4 mi approx. 132-136mph, 0-60 est 2.9, weight 1500kg(3306lbs). We're talkin a little bit beyond the Corvette ZR1 and the Ferrari 599. The price tag will probably be right there around $300,000 not to mention it will probably be a dream exotic to drive in terms of refinement. By the way, the clonk you read about is pretty much the same clonk found and heard when shifting gears in an F1 car. The day of reckoning is fastly approaching. Pretty much the result of halo timing and brand resentment(haters,pessimist and prejudice).

"Top speed of the LF-A is est around 230mph, cd drag around .23, 1/4 mi approx. 132-136mph, 0-60 est 2.9, "

- Which dream are you basing those numbers on? And are you from America? (stupid Question we already know)

And what’s the deal with the styling? The LF-A pictured doesn’t look exciting at all. It looks like a touring car, not an exotic. The Current 599GTB looks like sex, the Lexus LF-A pictured doesn’t look special at all.

And why are you claiming superiority with vehicle that isn’t even in the pre-production stage yet? Do you think that a production LF-A will have the same gutted interior w/out Air-conditioning, no stereo, and missing passenger seats like the car pictured? All those things add weight. The production LF-A will be slower and heavier than the car tested in this article. Compromises are always made on the way to the assembly line. I’m willing to bet the farm that the LF-A will not outperform a Z06 much less a ZR1 or a Veyron.

When the LF-A hits the streets it will weigh 3600 lbs, and have 500 hp. Those numbers already put it behind the Z06. Keep dreaming because Lexus (despite 20 years of being in the business) has not built a performance yardstick car. Things like that do not change over night and with one model. Maybe the 3rd or 4th generation LF-A will be nice, but the 1st generation will not offer anything special when it comes to performance.

Remember the IS-F? Wasn't that car supposed to shame the M3? It didn't. Don't be suprised when the LF-A doesn't dominate.

Just because the Saleen S7 TT can beat a 599 doesn't mean that the 599 is a poor performer. In fact its quite the contrary. The 599 is an outstanding performer. Personally I would't compare the Saleen S7 to a 599. They are 2 different types of cars.

"so whats the big deal about the 599 besides the owner wishes they were hung like horse?

Are you serious? The Ferrari 599 GTB sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed in excess of 330 km/h. I'm not sure what you are asking?

Ferrari and their performance is great, but when compared with other cars that perform just as good or better for way less, you're paying for the name. The history of that name, what comes with that name, the thought of that name. Lexus? Nice luxury, nice quality, that's what you pay for, lexus is looked at like that. Now with the LF-A they can be looked at differently. If anyone read the article it was the race car that he drove at goodwood. This thing is still a prototype. The clunks in the gearbox? Yeah that'll be fixed by production, the price? who knows if 250K is the real asking price. Where's the confirmation in that? All that Lexus really said was 6 digits, that's over 100K. Now if this car impressed the writer in the wet at goodwood on a slim section of road, just wait till it gets to a real road, or real track.

I Agree with ya freshseth83, however the LF-A is built to be a halo(hay-low) exotic and is designed to perform out of character with the Lexus philosophy thus putting it in direct competion with exotics like the Ferrari 599 and the likes. Make no mistake about it and remember this thing has a Formula 1 based V10 high-reving(9,000rpm)engine in it. This is a very expensive and durable motor which requires a substantial buget to build and warrant. Approx. $300,000 exotic with a production of 500 for the world to share. Trust me, the first few will probably go for a lot more than that because of demand. Don't think for a minute their ain't 500 rich men and women that won't want to be seen driving this bad---! car when it becomes available.

Explain to me how BMW manages to put an F1 inspired V-10 in the M5/M6 without charging "$300,000"? In fact the cars cost less than $100,000.

You People just don't get it.
As is normal for people who do not drive SuperCars or Over 100mph on a daily basis for you it is all about numbers, its all you can use to do your comparisons.

All you lexus Fans are used to Quiet & Reliable vehicles to get you from A to B. No Drama, No Exitement.

So we should not be suprised at you inability to see the Futility of your expectations for the LFA.

Saleen might be faster than 599 in a straight line, but more people will Want/Buy 599 because of the Complete Package.
Ugly American Contraption might be Faster than Veyron, but more will Want/Buy the Veyron because of the Complete Package.

Just take a look at the Interior and Exterior Pics of the SSC Ulitmate Aero, then compare them to the Pics of the Veyron and you will see why people will pay 5 times more for the Veyron than they would for the SSC.

Even the Name is Repulsive " SSC Ultimate Areo "

Sorry to disappoint you but some people are independent thinkers (that's why Lexus clientele have the highest IQ) :)

we don't fall for that heritage, prestige and all that badgewhore BS.

pre-production version of LF-A did a 7:24min at the Nurburgring, chew on that for a while.

Sector

Thanks for proving my point

All you Independent Thinkers can use is Marketing Material from LEXUS.

Notice I said Marketing Material, No actual independently confirmed vehicle performance capabilities.

Hell the LFA Concept to Production timeline is almost a long as the Bugatti Veyron Timeline, yet look at the Performance envelopes of both vehicles.

Independent Thinkers my Backside.

Toyota sells more cars in the world than any other company. it's a fact. even in the slump they still sell more than anyone else. GM was the only one that was up there with them, but now GM is only 3 brands instead of almost 13 who is going to charge toyota? Kia Hyundai? not for a while. Honda? Nowhere close, only the Volkswagen group is close, and they're still far off. Every company has to start somewhere right? So everyone claims lexus is stupid for making a supercar. So in the 50's and before that the 40's making a supercar was smart for ferrari and lamborghini's and porsches? They're still around today aren't they? Look at Koenigsegg, or Gumpert, or Saleen, or Ford. The only thing i can say about those guys was that they had a one off supercar, tuned cars, or had one famous car. Crack on them for making ultra-expensive supercars. Last I checked the Lexus even at 300K which is highly doubtful is way cheaper than any Koenigsegg, yet said to perform in their league, cheaper than any Saleen, yet said to perform in their league, cheaper than any Pagani, yet said to perform in their league, and the list goes on. But because it's from lexus that it's discredited? PLEASE!!! Except for Ford those last companies i named have no racing Prestige to them and don't even use their own engines.

"Toyota sells more cars in the world than any other company. it's a fact. "

What does building and selling millions of Ecomomy cars have to do with building a supercar? You mentioned Koenigsegg, Gumpert, Saleen, and Ford. What about Ferrari, Lambo and Buggati?

Now that Toyota has shown what it can really do, will they take MB & BMW head on or remain content to be a "value" luxury brand? Is the halo for real or just looks?